The year 2000 was NOT the millennium!

(Updated on 1 January 2001, the first day of the current millennium, and then as needed...)

That's right, 2000 is nothing more than a nice, round number. The year 2001, on the other hand, was the first year of the first decade of the first century of the third millennium, CE (the designation formerly known as “AD”). This is due to the simple fact (note: fact, not opinion) that the first year of the Common Era was 1 CE, not 0. There never was a 0 CE or 0 BCE, so each decade (and century, and millennium) must begin with a year ending in the numeral 1. I have consulted many encyclopedias and other reference works, all of which back me up, as do all of the major timekeeping centers around the world (US Naval Observatory, Royal Observatory Greenwich, etc.). Why do you think that the famous science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke titled his masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey and not 2000: etc.?

Here's a quote from Arthur C. Clarke on this topic, given sometime in 2000:

"The intelligent minority of this world will mark 1 January 2001 as the real beginning of the 21st century and the third millennium. Those who celebrated the twin events a year too soon are also invited to join in the celebrations."

Below you will find links to sites that confirm this "truth," including the US Naval Observatory, NASA, the White House, and also international links, including the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.

Speaking of the Royal Observatory, I participated in an online chat (back in 1999) with Kristen Lippincott, Director of the Observatory, and you'll find our little exchange right here.

Still skeptical? Listen to a commentary by NPR's Senior News Analyst, Daniel Shorr. (about two minutes long)

Here's a link to a published article that mentions yours truly (and a fellow named Alex Trebek of Jeopardy fame) on this subject (published in 1995, when a lot of the bogus hoopla started):

THE ANSWER IS 2001

Here's a conceptual explanation, borrowed from another site. Click here for the best site about how to count things, such as years. Here's a point and counterpoint made about celebrating. And here's a fun set of Web pages that offer a quiz and some very clear explanations.

Here are a few more links which point out the plain, simple truth:
(BTW, I have more links than Yahoo! on this topic. Except as indicated, all of the links below were working as of 1 January 2001)

I couldn't help but laugh at all the hoopla over the starting of multiple "Countdown to 2000" clocks around the world. Well, you know what? Even the folks installing those clocks know the truth! Here's a question and answer excerpted from a page on the Web site of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, home to one of the much-publicized, but technically erroneous countdown clocks, in which they admit to the truth, despite their activities to the contrary:

Q: `Will it [the year 2000] be the start of the new millennium?'

A: It is thus clear that the start of the new millennium will be 1 Jan 2001.

(That text, formerly found on the RGO website has since been superceded by the following web page: The new millennium)

And YES, I *do* have a life! I'm just doing my best to enlighten people who go on believing that decades, centuries, and/or millennia start in years ending in 0! They just don't! BTW...the media are largely responsible for continuing this fallacy, but they also get it *right* sometimes.

For example, the ABC TV network made a BIG deal about their 24 hour, round-the-world coverage on 1 January, 2000. They published blatantly wrong information in their promotional announcements for this coverage, and yet on their OWN Web site, carefully buried amongst all the hype, they admitted the truth!

So, please do your best not to make erroneous statements about us having arrived in the 1st decade of the 21st century, or even having started the third millennium, because that's all incorrect. Refer to it as “the year 2000” or “Y2k” or even “two triple-zero.”

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